Happily Ever After, At Last
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Happily Ever After (2016). The third and final part to my saga of Walt and Ria and Heather and Sara Ann after the events of the film. Part 1: Are You Happy?; Part 2: Full of Surprises.


**Happily Ever After, At Last**

Ria's hands were shaking as she tried to finish her makeup. Her hair was perfectly set. She was wearing her robe before putting on her dress and shoes, the final touches.

"Almost ready?"

In the mirror behind her, Walt was tying his bowtie. He hadn't put his jacket on yet, but he looked so very handsome in his tuxedo. Ria watched him for a moment, admiring his trimmer physique and neatly trimmed beard. "You look good," she replied, not answering his question.

"And so do you." He finished tying the tie and leaned down to kiss the side of her neck. "Beautiful as always," he murmured.

She let out a deep breath, closing her eyes, remembering the last time she'd heard him say those words just like that. It was a whole year earlier. Strange to think they'd been together nearly two years now. That whole other life was the vast majority of her life, but Ria felt like it was so far away. She was in a state of near panic over tonight because she just knew that everything was going to get dredged up again. And she'd be reminded of the worst day of her life.

It had started out fine enough. She and Walt had been staying in Toronto for all the pre-op work. They got a hotel near the hospital—not nearly as nice as the one they'd been in when Walt surprised them for their special weekend, but perfectly serviceable for Ria for a week or so until they could return to Brimford.

The night before the surgery, where Walt was giving his kidney to Sara Ann for the transplant, he'd wanted to have a proper romantic night. Ria had resisted, but Walt stood firm. In more ways than one.

"A proper sendoff, honey, come on," he whined. His hands were teasing the bits of her bare legs he could reach under her bathrobe.

"I think we'd do better to celebrate later," she cautioned.

"Not that tonight is gonna be our last time, since I know everything will be fine, but you know I'll be on bedrest recovering for a while. It could be months before we can make love again."

That's how he always phrased it. Unless he was deliberately trying to be rough and seduce her that way, Walt always said he was 'making love' to her. Good god, he loved her so much. It made Ria's head spin sometimes to think of it, this drunken bastard who preferred passing out on the lawn than giving a kind thought to his own daughter, had transformed into a kind and generous and upstanding man. All because he loved her so very much and so very, very well.

And so they'd had quite the marathon session of making love that night. On every surface they could find and every position they could think of. And by the time they were finally finished, Ria felt like she was in heaven. She didn't even care that she was going to be horrifically sore while sitting in the waiting room during the surgery. Walt held her in his arms as they fell asleep, sweaty and naked and unbelievably happy.

But then the morning came, and Ria had to stand next to Heather as Walt and Sara Ann were lying in their hospital gowns, waiting to be taken into the operating room.

"You ready, Sara Ann?" Walt asked as the nurses pushed their beds down the hall.

"Ready as I'll ever be! I don't want to get too excited, seeing as your alcohol-soaked kidney might not like its new home inside my sickly body, but the idea of never having to have dialysis again? Amazing."

Walt smiled and held out his hand to her. They gave each other a little squeeze, and he said, "You're gonna be just fine. I promise."

Ria watched the two people she loved most in this world get wheeled away, and she began to cry.

"Mrs. Le…I mean…Ria?" Heather stuttered. It was still so weird to call her by her first name.

"It's okay, Heather. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying."

"Well, it's a big day."

"I mean, I don't know if I'm crying because I'm scared for them in surgery or if I'm happy and relieved that Sara Ann could really be okay after this. It's just…you're right. It's a big day," Ria replied through hitched breaths.

Heather led her into the waiting room to those cold plastic chairs that hurt like a bitch, just as Ria expected. She got right up and started pacing. "You should sit down. It's gonna be a while. And those shoes look like they hurt," Heather pointed out.

Ria paused and looked down at her tasteful beige high-heeled pumps. She chuckled slightly. "I actually really love them. Your dad keeps trying to make me get rid of all vestiges of my 'repressed perfect former life' as he calls it. He's always worried that I'm trying too hard at things that don't matter. And for some of it, he was right. I don't straighten my hair every day anymore." She gave her voluminous curls a little shake and smiled. "And I never wear pantyhose anymore."

"I bet Dad likes that," Heather quipped. But she immediately retracted her statement. "Ew, no, sorry, I don't want to go there."

"Well you're right and for the reason you don't want to think about," Ria told her. "But there are some things that I've found that I do really love and aren't things I just do because I'm supposed to. I love cooking for your dad. And I love my high heels."

Heather gave a small smile. "Well, good. I know Sara Ann has noticed the difference in you since the…not-wedding. She's gone on and on about how amazing it is that you're so free and happy."

"I really am," Ria replied softly. "And that's all thanks to Walt. I know it seems ridiculous—especially to you, Heather—but he really is the most wonderful man. He's so attentive and caring and funny and smart. And…" She trailed off, realizing what she was saying. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want to hear how great he is now after he's been such a bastard your whole life."

But Heather just shrugged. "He needed you. I was a kid and I couldn't give him what he needed. And honestly, I'm not too upset about it anymore. My life then and my life now? Totally different. But things are definitely better now. For all of us."

Ria nodded in agreement. "Oh, didn't you want to do the interview for the film with me while we wait?"

Heather retrieved her camera and got everything set up. "Ria, tell me what's happening right now."

Trying to be natural on camera, as Heather had suggested in earlier interviews and Walt had chided her for in the past, Ria began, "Well, right now we're in the waiting room. Sara Ann and Walt have been taken into surgery. Walt is having one of his kidneys removed in order to be a donor for Sara Ann. The hope is that her body won't reject his kidney, and the transplant will reverse her renal failure."

"And how are you doing through all this? Can you explain some background and what you're feeling?"

Ria had to give a small laugh. "It's all a bit overwhelming, still. Sara Ann and Heather were best friends growing up. So I knew Walt when the girls were little. And he was an absolute bastard. Oh fuck, can I say that?"

Heather laughed this time. "Yeah, you can say that. Especially because it's true."

Continuing, Ria smiled and said, "Alright, Walt Lee was a useless drunk and an absolute bastard. My husband and I tried to do our best for Heather, since she was Sara Ann's best friend and she didn't have anyone else, but Heather was always a bit resistant. She took off after graduation, and Sara Ann was heartbroken. And in the intervening years, life went on. My life, such that it was, didn't change or grow. I was stagnant and bored. My daughter got so, so sick. And I couldn't do anything for her. Just…watch her body start to shrivel and die the way my very soul did the same thing. And out of nowhere, Walt fucking Lee caught my attention. Don't ask me how it started, because I'm still not sure. But he has these eyes that draw you in. They're so soft and tender. And his voice is more like a growl. And something about his lips, always frowning or smirking. Nothing in between. Anyway, he kissed me. And I was lost to him. We had a torrid affair for almost a year until Walt was hospitalized. Heather came home, and through a series of events we don't need to rehash, everything fell apart and got built back better than before. I got divorced and moved in with Walt. Sara Ann left home and moved in with Heather in the city. And we were all happier."

"And you're still happy?"

"The man I love is risking his life to donate an organ to save my daughter's life. It's the greatest gift anyone's ever given me, the hope that Sara Ann could be alright. And that's what Walt has given me. For Sara Ann and for Heather and for me. Hope that things can be better, that we can have everything we want and need in life, that happiness isn't just a fond dream, that love is what matters and it brings all things with it."

Heather wiped tears from her eyes and turned off the camera. "Ria?"

"Yes, Heather?"

"Is it okay if I hug you?"

"Oh my dear girl, of course you can."

As Heather clambered out of her chair and launched herself forward, Ria caught her with open arms. "You're a really good mom," came Heather's muffled voice.

Ria stroked the young woman's hair soothingly. "Thank you."

"To Sara Ann and to me." Heather sat up slightly to look at Ria. "Ever since I was little. You were the mom I never had. And I feel like my resentment toward you is just proof of that."

"Yes, I think we did have the famed uptight mother and rebellious daughter relationship in those days. And still do."

"Well, now you've got really cool hair. And you're pretty close to being my actual stepmom. Aren't you guys gonna get married?"

"I think he wants to ask me, but I also think he knows better. Let's get through today and all the recovery and we'll see where we are," Ria replied judiciously.

"That makes sense."

Ria couldn't help but cup Heather's cheek in her hand. To her delight, the girl didn't recoil. Heather had always been such a bright, strong girl. A very good influence on Sara Ann, despite being reckless and wild. Sara Ann had needed that, and she'd been able to give Heather stability in return. The girls were as good as sisters even before Ria and Walt had gotten together. "I tell you what, Heather, if he ever does ask me, I'll say yes."

Heather smiled. "I'm glad."

They returned to the interview. Ria discussed the things Walt had been doing for his health to prepare for the surgery, she explained her hopes for everything to go smoothly and successfully, and she admitted to the camera how frightened she was that it would all go wrong.

Heather then wandered around the hospital getting 'B-roll' as she called it. Ria tried to read her book but couldn't focus. They took turns pacing. They shared memories of Heather and Sara Ann as children. Ria told Heather the more appropriate aspects of living with Walt and Heather told Ria what it was like living with Sara Ann. There was laughter and wonderful female bonding, but it was all laced with an undercurrent of fear.

Eventually, a doctor in surgery scrubs came out to see them. "Walter Lee and Sara Ann Lehming?"

Heather and Ria both stood up. "Us! Here!"

Unable to help herself, Ria grabbed at Heather's hand and held it tight, praying to God that there was good news. The doctor explained, "Sara Ann is coming out of surgery now. Everything went smoothly with the transplant. She'll be monitored for signs of rejections, since it's too early to tell now, but everything with her surgery was absolutely textbook."

Ria sighed in relief. "Oh thank god!"

But Heather frowned. "What about my dad? His surgery was first, right? I mean you took the kidney out of him to put in Sara Ann?"

The slight pause before the doctor spoke caused Ria to lose all sense. Any relief she'd felt about Sara Ann was gone. "What happened?" she choked out.

"Walt is still in surgery. There were complications."

"What kind of complications?" Heather demanded. Tears fell unhampered down her cheeks.

"The kidney we removed to transplant to Sara Ann was in perfect condition, but I'm afraid his veins and arteries are extremely delicate. There's been a lot of bleeding, and in fixing all the bleeds, the heart has been taxed. With his hypertension, this is a very dangerous situation."

"He…he's still alive though, right? You're going to fix him?" Ria begged.

"We're doing everything we can. I actually need to get back in there. Sara Ann is going to be in recovery for a little while, but someone will let you know when you can go see her."

And with that, the doctor rushed away. Heather and Ria were still holding hands as they sat back down together.

"They're still working on him. And if it was so dire, no one would have been able to come out and tell us anything. And Sara Ann is okay, that's good!" Heather stated, still crying but trying to reassure Ria and herself.

But Ria couldn't hear any of it. She felt like she was going to be sick. "I can't go on without him. I don't know what I'll do. God, he promised me everything would be okay! Oh I knew I should have given him that blowjob last night. Christ, I was selfish. I just wanted him to go own on me again because he's so fucking good at it, but I should have paid more attention to him. He's so appreciative when I blow him, too. It wouldn't have been too much trouble."

"Ria, I know you're freaking out, but for the love of God, I need you to shut the fuck up about giving my dad a blowjob!"

Heather's shriek caught Ria's attention. She hadn't even fully realized she was talking out loud. "Sorry." Ria rummaged through her purse to find a clean tissue to hand to Heather. "Here, there's nothing to cry about yet. You're right, it's not so dire now. They're going to fix him right up."

Taking the tissue, Heather wiped her eyes. She rested her head on Ria's shoulder. "He's an asshole and he was terrible my whole life, but he's my dad," she said quietly.

Ria wrapped her arms around Heather and held her close. "I know, sweetheart. But he's not going to die. He's the most stubborn man in the world, and he has way too much to live for now. He's got me, and he's rebuilding his relationship with you and he's creating one with Sara Ann. And you've got to finish this documentary for his website. Oh he is just so proud of you, Heather. He's not going to leave us."

"He might not have a choice."

Ria felt the bile rise in her throat, but she tamped it down. "Let's just…let's just try to keep faith for now."

"Are you going to start praying?" Heather asked in disdain.

"I might. You don't have to join me." Ria removed her arms from Heather and bowed her head, closing her eyes. She could feel Heather's eyes on her, but she didn't care. She wasn't quite praying, since she knew Walt would have found the very idea that she prayed for him to be completely stupid, but she did silently beg the universe to save the man she loved, to keep him alive so she could show him and tell him what he meant to her, so they could all live happily ever after.

"Mrs. Lehming? Sara Ann is asking for you."

Ria opened her eyes to see a very kind nurse standing in front of her. Heather was sitting with her elbows on her knees and her eyes trained on the floor. Ria stood up and followed the nurse without a word.

"Mom? How's Walt?" Sara Ann asked upon seeing Ria arrive.

"He's not out of surgery yet. How are you, Sara Ann?" she asked, trying to smile at her daughter.

But Sara Ann frowned. "What do you mean? He was supposed to be done way before me."

"There were some complications. You know his health has always been a concern, despite all the work he did to prepare for the surgery."

Tears sprang into Sara Ann's big blue eyes. "Oh my god, Mom, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!"

Ria gingerly took her daughter in her arms and kissed her forehead. "Sara Ann, this is not at all your fault. You didn't ask for this. Any of this. You got sick at no fault of your own. Walt wanted to donate his kidney to you without anyone asking him for it. This was his choice. He knew the risks."

"But what about you? You've only been together for like ten months! You were finally so happy, and because the man you love went into major surgery for me, that might be gone!"

"It's going to be fine, Sara Ann," Ria replied weakly.

Mother and daughter held each other quietly for a while. They were interrupted by Heather running into the room. She was sobbing so much she could barely speak.

And Ria realized that her happily ever after was lost.

"Heather, what's happened?" Sara Ann demanded, terrified of hearing what she'd say.

"He's out of surgery. He's okay! He's gonna be okay!" Heather forced out between hitched breaths.

Ria was sure she was about to faint. "You hear that, Mom?" Sara Ann said happily. "Walt's okay!"

Heather stayed with Sara Ann when the nurse told them Walt could have visitors in intensive care before he was brought down to share Sara Ann's room once he was stable. Ria's whole body was shaking as she followed the nurse.

He was lying in the hospital bed looking surprisingly peaceful, as though he were sleeping in late on a Saturday morning. Ria rushed to his side, stroking his dear face, pushing his sparse hair back, tracing the line of his beard. "I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much, you asshole."

Walt's eyes fluttered open. His vision focused on her face and he smiled. "Beautiful as always," he said in a hoarse voice. "Best thing to wake up to."

Ria leaned down to kiss him. Even with IVs in his arms, Walt reached up to put his hands around her waist and in her hair. "I can't tell you how scared I was," she murmured against his lips.

"I'm okay. I promised you I'd be okay. And Sara Ann?" he asked, still kissing her in between words.

She stayed practically glued to his mouth. "Awake and totally fine. It was you who had the complications."

"I'm a complicated man," he teased before pulling her closer and caressing his tongue with hers.

And so began the months and months of grueling recovery for both Walt and Sara Ann. She hadn't rejected the kidney, but it was an uphill battle nonetheless. Walt was in the hospital for weeks before the doctors were confident he could be transferred to Brimford, where he'd be stuck under Dr. Mickelson's care for another month. Through it all, Heather continued her documentary, filming everything and interviewing everyone over and over and over. She probably ended up with a full month of footage to edit.

When Walt was finally allowed to go home, he was given strict instructions to only sleep on his back in order to keep the weight off his incision scar, located on his lower abdomen. Ria and Walt both knew what that meant without asking. But Walt asked anyway. "Doc, when can we have sex?"

Dr. Mickelson blushed bright red and got very uncomfortable. "Oh. Um. Well. Uh, I think vigorous physical activity is going to have to wait a while. I mean, your heart is strong enough but it's really, uh, I guess up to you, however you feel, don't push yourself. If anything hurts or even gets uncomfortable, you should stop. But technically, you aren't going to um…"

"An orgasm isn't going to kill me, is that what you're saying?" Walt asked sharply.

"Uh, no, that's right, it won't kill you."

Walt brightened right up. "Alright then."

That very night, in an effort to take things slow, Walt and Ria shared their first night back in their bed together with Walt lying on his back, as he was instructed, and Ria taking very good care of him.

She first stripped him down so he was lying completely naked. She gently ran her fingers down his bare chest, careful to avoid his fresh scars. He shivered under her touch. Ria pulled back and stood at the end of the bed, slowly and sensually removing all her clothes until she was as bare as he.

"Holy fuck, I've missed you, Ria. You've gotten even sexier since the last time I got to see you naked," he said, his voice a low rumble of arousal.

Ria watched him, noticing that he was starting to get hard already just watching her. "I've been waiting for you, honey. I've been so lonely without you," she pouted as she crawled over the bed to lean in and kiss him. Lips and teeth and tongues caressed each other for a while. Walt kept one hand tangled in her curly hair, anchoring her to him, while his other hand traced the curves of her body.

Eventually, Ria had to pull away to catch her breath. Walt was smiling at her, his eyes black with lust.

"Lie back and relax," she instructed. "It's time I welcomed you home, Walt." And with that, she kissed a line directly down his chest and belly and down to his cock. She took him in hand, giving him a few strong strokes. Her thumb rubbed over his head as her tongue traced his veins from the base of his shaft and up. Walt was practically trembling already. Ria gave him a quick smile before taking him into her mouth. Her tongue swirled over him as she took in as much of his length as she could, moving at a tantalizingly slow pace. Her teeth grazed him gently as she moved back up, causing him to gasp. Ria then sucked him harder and faster, humming to add the vibration to the sensations she created in him. Her free hand stroked his sack gently, and she could feel when he constricted. She was ready when he came inside her mouth with a mighty groan of her name, and she sucked off every last drop.

By the time she was finished and looked back up at Walt, he was breathing heavily with his arm covering his eyes.

"How are you feeling, honey?" she asked, making sure they hadn't done too much too quickly.

"Jesus," he breathed.

She laughed. "I take it you're okay?"

He moved his arm so he could look at her. "That was incredible, Ria. But I wanna make you come. I miss being inside you, taking you hard and making you scream."

"You will," she promised. "Believe me, it's been just as long for me as it's been for you. But we need to take it slow. So for now, just hold me and go to sleep."

Ria pulled the covers up over them and turned out the light on the bedside table. She snuggled up against him, reveling in finally getting to sleep naked in his arms again. But Ria should have known better. Walt Lee was not a man to be deterred. His hand wandered down her back and began massaging her ass, squeezing the generous flesh he loved so much. His fingers dipped between her legs, finding their way to her folds. "You're wet," he noted with a smile.

"Getting you off turns me on," she replied.

Walt wasted no time plunging two fingers deep inside her, thrusting hard and fast before adding a third. Ria arched against him, panting with pleasure. She hadn't felt the touch of his hand in so long. She'd missed him so much.

When she came, it was powerful and overwhelming. The waves of pleasure radiated from her sex all over her body. She was sweaty and could barely breathe when she finally stilled and Walt removed his fingers. He licked them clean and growled, "Delicious as ever. And as soon as we can, I want to put my tongue inside you feel your thighs around my ears."

Despite being fully sated, she shivered with want. "Soon, honey," she promised.

"Ria?"

She blinked in the mirror, seeing Walt finish tying his tie and returning herself to the present. "Yeah?"

"You were looking a little glazed there. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Better than fine. I was just thinking about the day of your surgery and then our first night back home together. But that was then and this is now." Ria stood up from the vanity table. "Time to get dressed. Can you please zip me up?"

She removed her robe and adjusted her undergarments before stepping into her gown. She smiled as she pulled the sparkling silver bodice up her body. Walt came behind her to zip it up, and she smoothed the black chiffon skirt. She really loved this dress.

"Just gotta get my shoes, and I'll be ready."

They departed arm in arm to the screening of Heather's documentary. The film about their entire family drama would be shown in its entirety, and then Heather would be presented with her well-earned award for her film-making achievement.

Walt and Ria were prouder than they could say. Of Heather, for her brilliant film, and Sara Ann, for recovering so well and thriving at her new job as a public school guidance counselor. Having survived as she had, she'd dedicated her life to pointing out a path to kids like her who were too afraid to choose a direction. Walt was still editor at the Brimford newspaper, and Ria was still doing charity work and managing all their lives.

Because finally, they all actually had lives. They were all actually living lives doing exactly what they wanted with the people they cared about. This truly was their happily ever after, at last.


End file.
